Savannah’s animal control ordinance sounds like it was written a long time ago, because it was.

“Right now as we sit here in the city of Savannah any resident can have five horses, five mules and five sheep so long as they have a 100-foot setback,” said Blake Caldwell, a retired CDC epidemiologist who headed up a task force that brought the ordinance more in line with the recent boom in urban homesteading. “We all agree that’s not a particularly good ordinance and it needed to be rewritten.”

About 40 people, many of them chicken and bee enthusiasts, turned out for a public meeting Tuesday at the Savannah-Chatham County Metropolitan Planning Commission to hear about the changes, which limits the number of chickens a resident can keep based on lot size and, if adopted, will for the first time honey bee hives are allowed within the city limits.

Under direction from the county commission, the staff at the MPC partnered with Healthy Savannah and the Food Policy Council to form a task force that met repeatedly to iron out the new draft ordinance.

The group was careful to invite a diverse group, including people like Pam Oglesby who were opposed to keeping bees and roosters in the city, Caldwell said.

Oglesby, who’s allergic to bees, praised the outcome of the compromise process.

“We’re allowing people to have bees but under some guidelines,” she said. “We came to a happy medium.”

The proposed changes would have beekeepers register. As they do so, they’ll be educated on how to provide water and proper flyways to keep bees away from neighbors. An “expert consultant roster” would be created and maintained by the Chatham County Health Department. Representatives from the bee-keeping and chicken communities, as well as veterinarians and public health experts, would serve on the roster to assist in verifying technical aspects of the ordinance.

The draft ordinance allows one chicken for every 1,000 square feet of high ground on a residential lot, with a maximum of 30. For many Savannah residents, it works out to more chickens than the maximum of five currently allowed. In Ardsley Park, for example, the average lot size is just over 7,000 square feet, allowing seven chickens. Not surprisingly, those in the central historic district might see their flocks reduced. Square footage there would typically allow for just two hens.

Noisy roosters are much more limited than hens, with the ordinance lumping them in with guinea fowls and peacocks. You’ll need a 2-acre lot plus a 250-foot setback from your neighbor’s house to keep these birds. About 1,700 lots in Savannah are big enough.

The proposed ordinance doesn’t change any of the rules about dogs and cats. It does address goats, pigs, horses and cows, along with the chickens and bees. It also makes it illegal to bring a “snake or other large reptile” to a public event parade or festival unless you’re permitted by the state Department of Natural Resources to do so.

The county commission accepted the changes to its animal control ordinance in August and to zoning regulations in September.

Now it’s Savannah’s turn. The issue is expected to be reviewed by Savannah City Council in late February or early March.

Dennis Hutton, who retired from the MPC last year, said he researched ordinances on chickens and bees before leaving his post. He didn’t find anything as good as what the task force created. Already, he said, other cities, including Boston, have asked permission to use this ordinance as one on which to model their own.

“This ordinance we’re looking at now is one of the most progressive in the country,” Hutton said. “It does the most to allow people to grow their own food but at the same time it protects the neighbors who may not want to deal with chickens.”

READ THE DRAFT ORDINANCE

The MPC has posted the proposed Animal Control Ordinance on its website at www.thempc.org. Click on “NEW!!! Animal Control Ordinance Revisions Task Force.” It is anticipated that the Savannah City Council will review the proposed changes in late February or early March. If you would like to comment, contact Ellen Harris at harrise@thempc.org or 912-651-1482.

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Finally, Savannah has the chance to come from behind.
The progressive proposal outlined by Dr. Caldwell will give Savannah the chance to be recognized as a leader in urban farm management, and give people a choice in the foods they consume.
The keeping of bees and chickens, and a choice number of budding community gardens is a healthy sign of a populace.
Kudo's to the leadership on this issue.
And btw, the best way to deal with a neighbor who has a problem with your chickens is to give them some of the eggs.....they are far superior to the taste of store bought, industrial cage raised.

I'm curious to know whether anyone even discussed or mentioned bantam hens, which are considerably smaller birds. So say a typical hen would be allowed per every 1000 square feet, while two bantams per every 1000. Not everyone keeps large laying or meat hens, some people do appreciate smaller fancier birds too.

Bantams don't require AS much space, so it would be interesting to see that mentioned, especially for those who live downtown in smaller quarters who'd really like to keep the smaller variety in slightly larger groups.

I am however very excited about how things are progressing and hope this trend continues.